The aim of the project is to facilitate a more informed and fact-based discussion of the issues surrounding current immigration in the U.S. The National Research Council would appoint an ad-hoc committee that would be charged with (1) summarizing what we know about how immigrants are integrating into American society; (2) discussing what the implications of this knowledge are for informing various policy options; and, (3) identifying any important gaps in our existing knowledge and data availability.

More specifically, the committee would be asked to explore the following set of questions:
What has been the demographic impact of immigration, in terms of the size and age, sex, and racial/ethnic composition of the US population from 1970 to 2010? What are the likely changes from 2010 to 2050?
What has been the effect of recent immigration on the native-born population?
How has the social and spatial mobility of immigrants changed over the last 40 years? What are the prospects for the future?
How has the residential integration (or segregation) of immigrants changed over the last 40 years? How has immigration affected the residential segregation between native born race and ethnic communities?
How rapidly are recent immigrants and their children integrating into American society, as measured by competency in English language, educational attainment, rate of naturalization, degree of intermarriage, maintenance of ethnic identity, and other dimensions?
What has been the effect of immigration on American institutions, including economic and political organizations?
What are the general attitudes and public perceptions of native-born Americans towards (a) legal and illegal immigration and (b) how immigrants shape American society? How do these perceptions compare with the statistical record?
What additional data are needed for research on the role and impact of immigration on American society?